It will be tough seeing teammates suit up at Rose Bowl, Gardner says, but he’s adjusted to not being able to play

Standing on the sideline at the Rose Bowl won’t be that difficult, Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner said. But other moments in the day will be hard for him to take.

Gardner sustained a pectoral injury in the Oregon State game on Oct. 26. Despite missing the final four games of the regular season, he was named to the All-Pac-12 first team. But his college career is over, so he’ll miss the Rose Bowl.

“I wouldn’t say it will be tough,” he said. “We’re two months into this thing where I haven’t been able to play. It was definitely much tougher (to miss games) at the beginning. I’ve adjusted to it. I’ve come to accept the circumstances. I’ve got a job to do, and that’s to help these guys with things that are going on on the field that they might not be able to see.

“It’s going to be tough pregame when guys are suiting up. Once the game starts, you do what you can to help the team win.”